Improvement in the burner of burning-fluid lamps



R. W. SARGENT.

Vapor Burner.

Patented March 17, 1857.

M RM UNITED ST TES ATENT Orricn.

RUFUS \V. SARGENT, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

lMPROVEMENT IN THE BURNER OF BURNlNG FLUID LAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,8552, dated March17,1857.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUFUS \V. SARGENT, of the city of Philadelphia, inthe county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented anew and useful Burner for Spirit Gas or any Highly-Volatile Fluid; and Ido declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operation of the same, reference being had to theannexed drawings, makin part of this specification, in which- Figure 1is a perspective view of a lamp in operation; Fig. 2, a longitudinalsection of the burner upon the burner-tube with the regulator attached;Fig. 3, a longitudinal section of the regulator; Fig. 4, a perspectiveView of the regulator; Fig. 5, a longitudinal section of the burner, andFig. 6 a perspective view of the burner-tube.

The burner consists of a chamber A of a globular, spheroidal, or otherconvenient shape, from the top of which rises a tube a, which may be inany form such as is used for burning gas either the ordinary hydrogengas or spirit gasas the bat-wing or fishtail gas-burners, or with jets.This chamber A is surrounded by an outer case or chamber B, extendingfrom about the insertion of the tube a down to the level of the bottomof the exterior of the chamber A or slightly below it. The bottom of thechamber 13 is left open all round and flares slightly outward. It isperforated with small holes 1) upon the top for the purpose ofpermitting the draft of air. A flange c prevents the draft affecting theflame of the lamp or causing it to flicker. The burner-tube O is screwedinto the bottom of the chamber A, the bottom of which immediately aroundthe tube is slightly elevated. The wick extends a short distance intothe chamber A. About the one-eighth of an inch below the bottom of theexterior of the chamber A is a small flange (l, and at the distance offrom one-quarter to one-half of an inch below that a shoulder a isformed upon the burner-tube, and just above the shoulder are severalsmall apertures f.

The regulator is represented at l), and is made with a shoulder g uponthe intcrior;below which a screw is cut, by which it fits upon theburner-tube, and so that the regulator may be readily moved up and downthereon. The exterior of the regulator is provided with a flange 71., bywhich it may be more readily handled. This flange is perforated withholes i or otherwise made open, so as to allow the air to pass morefreely to the heating-flame.

The screw by which the burner-tube is socured to the burner and thatwhich is turned upon its lower part to receive the regulator should beof the same size, or else the former should be smaller than the latter,so that the regulatormay be easily removed and replaced should it benecessary for any purpose to take the lamp apart. This is the mostconvenient arrangement; but the regulator might go on from the bottom ofthe burnertube, and then the size of the upper screw wouldnot affect it.

The sizes of the various parts may be varied without varying theprinciple; but I have found the most convenient proportions to be aboutas represented in the annexed drawings. For larger or smaller lamps allthe parts may be increased or diminished proportionately, and insmalllamps the chamber B may be dispensed with, which would enable themto be manufactured more cheaply, but they would consume more fluid inuse.

The operation of the lamp is as follows: Above the shoulder a to thebottom of the chamber A a wick in any convenient way is placed aroundthe burner-tube, and is secured and kept in its place by screwing theregulator D up over it. The space afforded by the regulator being madewith the shoulder g gives room for this Wick. The space around theburner-tube above the flange t0 the bottom of the exterior of thechamberA is now to be filled with a packing extending to the exterior ofthe regulator and so tight as only to allow of a very retarded flow ofthe fluid. This packing may be made by winding thread tightly around thewick or burner tube or with any other convenient material. The fluidfinding access to the outside wick through the apertures f is lightedthere, the regulator being turned downfor that purpose a short distance.After a few moments the heat causes the fluid to flow more freely, andthe regulator is then turned up, so as to coin fine the flame within thechamber 3. This flame is the heating-flame, by means of which the gas isgenerated for illumination. This flame is circular, fills the chamberl3, and surrounds the chan'iber A. The fluid flowsinto the chamber Athrough the burner-tube by the main or ordinary wick, and is thereconverted into gas by the heating-flame, which, after a few moments,will extend up outside the chamber B and set fire to the gas, which bythis time will have filled the chamber A and begun to escape from thetube at the top, and thus the lamp will be fully in operation. Theregulator must now be turned up, so as to reduce and confine theheating-flame within the chamber B, and it will then continue to producea steady and constant heat around the chamber A, generating a steady andconstant supply of gas for the illuminating-flame. The regulator may beturned up so high in the first instance as not to permit theheating-flame to extend outside to set fire to the gas for theilluminatin g-flamc, which may be lighted in the ordinary way. hen thelamp is fully in operation, the heating-flame is supplied with fluidfrom the packing, to which it is conducted by the wick around. theburner-tube, the regulator being turned up closely to the packing. Ifthe fluid were supplied to the heatin gflame by means of a simple wick,the flow of fluid would be so free and copious that the flame would notbe confined within the chamber B and would be much larger than necessaryfor the purpose of heating, causing a waste of fluid. A small cap may bemade to fit over the tube a. The illuminating-flame can then beextinguished, the cap placed on, and the heating-flame allowed to burn,so that the lamp may be relighted at once upon the removal of the cap.

outer chamber and in immediate contact with the inner chamber, mayeifect its purpose more steadily and with less consumption of fluid, theform of the outer chamber being substantially as above and asrepresented in the annexed drawings.

2. The surrounding the burner-tube with a wick and packing,substantially as above described, in order to supply the heating-flamewith fluid, and the making of the burner-tube with. a flange andshoulder, as described, in

order to afford space for said wick and packin g, and the perforatingthe burn er-tube with apertures through which said wick may be suppliedwith fluid.

3. The regulator,substantially as abovcdescribed, movable up and downupon the burner-tube in order to regulate and control the heating-flame.

RUFUS V. SARGENT. WVitnesses:

WILLIAMS OGLE, ALEXANDER MCKINLEY.

